Spurs notebook: Green likely out until after All-Star break

NEW ORLEANS — Relatively injury-free this season until 2014, the Spurs learned Monday they will be without another key member of their rotation for the next four weeks.

X-rays and an MRI exam

revealed a fracture of the second metacarpal of the left hand of shooting guard Danny Green.

Green, who started 27 games this season, likely won’t be available until after the All-Star break in February.

Green’s injury is the second significant one suffered by a Spurs starter in an eight-day span. Center Tiago Splitter suffered a right shoulder contusion in the Jan. 4 win over the Clippers. The team’s medical staff estimated he would miss three to five weeks.

“Everybody has (the injury bug),” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Monty’s (Pelicans coach Monty Williams) got it. Every team has something like that at some point in the season. You just go ahead and play.”

Popovich opened Monday’s game with veteran Manu Ginobili at shooting guard,

giving him his first start of the season. He said his guard rotation would be determined on a game-to-game basis.

“It will be different every game based on who we’re playing,” he said. “I don’t plan ahead of time. That never works. You’ve just got to see what the game brings and what it needs, and go from there.”

The Pelicans recently lost point guard Jrue Holiday to a stress fracture of the right tibia and learned Monday forward Ryan Anderson would miss the next two months with two herniated discs.

Humble and wise: The NBA officially acknowledged a mistake made by the referees in the Pelicans’ 110-107 loss to the Mavericks in Dallas on Saturday that cost New Orleans a chance to send that game to overtime.

NBA vice president for basketball operations Rod Thorn acknowledged that Pelicans guard Austin Rivers should have been awarded three free throws with 0.6 seconds left after an obvious foul by Dallas’ Monta Ellis.

This was small consolation for Pelicans coach Monty Williams, but nonetheless appreciated.

“We’re all in a performance business,” Williams said. “There comes a time when players and coaches are out there all the time. I don’t think it’s bad for referees to have their performance be public as well.”

Popovich also endorsed the accountability the league has shown with especially critical officiating mistakes this season.

“I didn’t watch the play you’re talking about,” Popovich said, “but when something is gross and obvious, maybe it’s smart on their part to acknowledge it because it shows good sense, humility and wisdom.”